Breze church

The grande Chateau de Breze

A walk in historic Saumur is essential

Easy cycling on quiet roads with great destinations

Quiet walks and birdwatching along the Canal du Dive

Mainly you walk or cycle through quiet vineyards

Chateau Grande Fond is visible from each house

We have a tandem - you just need the inclination

Walking

Walking near to La Charpenterie is one of life's simple pleasures. The terrain is fairly level so the going is very easy. We have prepared two simple maps with easy walks of about an hour. The first takes you past 3 petit chateau - La Ripaille, our neighbour, Château Fouquet, the home of Frederick Filliatreau, a top organic wine producer (see interview) and Grand Fond - an ornate 19th century chateau that has been for sale for the past 20 years. The second walk passes through arable fields growing wheat, maze, sunflowers and melons in rotation. It passes the old church and graveyard which has some very elaborate tombs and on to the Canal du Dive. This section attracts lots of birds and small wildlife.
It is an easy walk to the Grande Chateau of Breze, which is architecturally interesting and has some great wines to taste. In our locality, you are generally walking through vineyards of either Cabernet Franc, or Chenin for white and sparkling Crement.

If you like to be more adventurous with your walks then take a look at this website for some great walks in our locality. You can start preparing straight away by downloading maps and routes.

Walking in our towns is the best way to appreciate what is available. Saumur and Chinon are very pedestrian friendly and only by exploring the backstreets can you get a real flavour of their unique history and their connections with British history.

Here a just a few ways to enjoy the Loire Valley by bike.

Firstly it is worth reminding guests that La Charpenterie is a country location and so a car is essential for many practical journeys to restaurants, shops and more distant chateaux. That said, we have two bikes and a tandem here for guests to use to cycle into the village and around the many byways that surround the neighbouring vineyards.

For the more adventurous, the gently rolling landscape and stunning views make the area a premier location for keen cyclist. The Loire Valley has been awarded many tourism awards for its approach to cycling. Cycling-loire, this website gives you some idea of what is possible just cycling along the river. Pays de Loire tourism have gone one better and can provide a GPS for you bike that details where to go and what to see when you get there.

Most guests who are keen cyclists come with their own bikes in their car, but it is possible to rent high quality 21-gear touring bikes for less than €60 a week from renting-bicycles we are happy to arrange this for you.

If 3 couples are occupying all three of our properties, then we are happy to organise an itinerary of cycle routes accompanied by a good friend who is a keen cyclist and lecturing historian. This could include renting a mini-bus & bikes and tailoring them to and from your preferred routes and destinations to meet you specific requirements. In these circumstances only, we could also arrange to meet you at your preferred airport, or Saumur railway station. Advanced preparation is needed and so an early booking is essential. The temperatures in April, May and September, October are likely to be more pleasurable for cycling.